1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to seat latches of the type used to lock a seat back in a desired position, such as but not limited to the type suitable for locking a second row vehicle seat back in an upright position.
2. Background Art
Vehicle seats and seats used in other environments may include a seat back that is movable between upright and folded positions. A seat latch may be included with the seat back to lock the seat back to a retaining hook or other fixed structure provided for retaining the seat back in the upright position. The seat latch must be designed to retain the seat back against substantial amounts of force during accidents and under other conditions where the forces tend to urge the seat back to the folded position.
A spring or other force applying element may be used to facilitate the desired retention of the seat latch against these higher force conditions, such as by applying forces used to clamp sides of a locking jaw around the retaining hook. The use of a spring to counteract the forces urging the seat to fold over may be undesirable from a design standpoint since it requires a rather robust and costly spring of a size and construction suitable to maintaining the locking jaws in a locked position while counteracting forces that may urge the seat back to the folded position.